The seven-sealed scroll in Revelation 5 is the document only the Lamb is worthy to open, and Les Feldick teaches it is a mortgage.
The King James calls it a book, but Les says it should be understood as a scroll. He connects the writing on both sides and the seven seals to Old Testament mortgage practice. God holds the scroll, but it is Satan's mortgage, and the angel's question 'Who is worthy?' asks who has the right to deal with it. Christ is worthy because He is the Creator, the next of kin with the wherewithal, and willing to pay it off through His finished work on the cross.
Revelation 5:1 — This verse describes the scroll in the right hand of the One on the throne, written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Revelation 5:5 — This verse identifies the Lion of the tribe of Judah as the One who has prevailed to open the book and loose its seven seals.
In Revelation 5:1, the King James Version says: 'And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.' The text presents this as a document that has writing on both sides and is completely sealed. Revelation 5:2 then records a strong angel asking, 'Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?' Revelation 5:5 answers that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals. In Daniel 7:13-14, the Son of Man comes before the Ancient of Days and is given dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom. This shows the Son of Man being given dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom.
Les Feldick teaches that the King James word 'book' is an unfortunate translational error — John's world did not have books as we know them, so what he saw was a scroll. The scroll was written within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals. Les explains this by Old Testament Jewish mortgage practice. A Jew could mortgage his land just as people mortgage property today. Information that needed to be public was written on the outside, and private details were written on the inside. Therefore a scroll written on both sides is a mortgage. God is holding it, but Les says it is Satan's mortgage. The question from the strong angel is not just about tearing off seals; it is about who has the right to deal with the mortgage. Les points to Genesis 1:28 to show why a mortgage exists, and to Daniel 7 to show the Son of Man receiving a kingdom. Christ alone is worthy because He is the Creator God who instituted the mortgage, He is the next of kin with the wherewithal, and He shows Himself willing by His finished work of the cross.
The KJV reads 'book,' but Les Feldick calls this one of the unfortunate translational errors. In John's day people used scrolls, not books. In the Old Testament, a Jew could mortgage his land. When a property was mortgaged, the details that were pertinent to the public were written on the outside, and the details that were not public were written on the inside. So the scroll written within and on the backside is a mortgage document. God is holding it, but Les says it is Satan's mortgage.
Revelation 5:2 records the strong angel asking, 'Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?' Les says we would normally think the other way around and ask who is worthy to take off the seals and open the scroll, but the real question is who has the right to deal with the mortgage. Daniel 7:13-14 shows the Son of Man coming before the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom. Christ can take the scroll because of His finished work of the cross, because of who He is — the eternal, Creator God — and because He alone is fulfilling all the requirements to pay off the mortgage.
Les points out that the scroll is sealed with seven seals and says, 'There's that number of completion again.' The number seven indicates completion. The seals have to be loosed before the scroll can be opened, and only the worthy One can loose them.
Les draws on the Old Testament practice of land redemption. A Jew could mortgage property; if the mortgage was due and he could not pay, he could go to a next of kin who had the wherewithal and was willing to pay. Les says this was paramount, especially in the time of Ruth and Boaz. He also goes back to Genesis 1:28, where Adam is given dominion, to show why there is a mortgage that must be paid off. Christ is the One who instituted that mortgage and is fulfilling every requirement to pay it off.
The Son of Man Receives a Kingdom
Les uses Daniel 7:13-14 to show the Son of Man coming before the Ancient of Days and receiving an everlasting kingdom, which supports why Christ is worthy to take the scroll.
Scroll, Not Book; Seven Seals
Les explains that the KJV's 'book' should be 'scroll,' and that a scroll written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals, is a mortgage; the seven seals are the number of completion.
The Mortgage and the Angel's Question
Les says in Israel the public details of a mortgage were on the outside and private details on the inside, that God holds it but it is Satan's mortgage, and that the angel's question concerns who is worthy to deal with it.
Old Testament Mortgage Requirements
Les cites Old Testament mortgage practice — especially from the time of Ruth and Boaz — where a next of kin with the wherewithal and willingness could pay off a mortgage.
KJV 'Book' Should Be 'Scroll'
Les says the King James use of 'book' is a translation issue because books were not used when John wrote; John saw a scroll in the right hand of the One on the throne.
Going Back to Genesis 1:28
Les answers the question of where the mortgage idea comes from by directing readers back to Genesis 1:28, where Adam receives God's instructions at creation.
Christ Fulfills the Mortgage Requirements
Les teaches that Christ is ready to take the scroll because of His finished work of the cross, because He is the Creator God who instituted the mortgage, and because He has the wherewithal, is the next of kin, and is willing to pay it off.
The Scroll Sealed with Seven Seals
Les reviews the same scene, noting that John saw the One on the throne holding a scroll written within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals, and that 'book' is an unfortunate translation.
Revelation 5:1: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
This is the key verse showing the scroll in God's right hand, written on both sides and completely sealed.
Revelation 5:2: And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
This verse poses the central question of who has the right to open the scroll.
Revelation 5:5: And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
This verse announces that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the worthy One.
Genesis 1:28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Les points to God's command to Adam as the place where the mortgage story begins.
Daniel 7:13: I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
This shows the Son of Man coming before the Ancient of Days, which Les connects to the Lamb's worthiness.
Daniel 7:14: And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
This verse reinforces that the Son of Man receives an everlasting kingdom — the outcome of opening the scroll.
The King James Version calls it a 'book,' but Les Feldick teaches that it should be understood as a scroll because books were not used in John's day. The object is written within and on the backside and sealed with seven seals.
The scroll is sealed with seven seals, and a strong angel asks, 'Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?' Les teaches that the question is about who has the right to deal with the mortgage, not merely who can break the seals.
God holds the scroll in His right hand, but Les Feldick says it is actually Satan's mortgage. The worthiness question is about who has the right to deal with that mortgage and pay it off.
Christ alone fulfills all the requirements. He is the Creator God who instituted the mortgage, He is the next of kin with the wherewithal, and He shows Himself willing through His finished work on the cross.
Watch the Teaching: Who Can Open the Scroll? Daniel 7 & Revelation 5 Explained